Hochul sidesteps questions on Mayor Mamdani’s secret influencer network and disclosure rules

Governor Kathy Hochul fielded reporters in her New York City office and declined to comment on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s alleged “influencer army,” saying she had not processed the issue and was focused on combating antisemitism. The inquiry followed a Columbia Journalism Review working paper that detailed a covert network of roughly 200 influencers receiving city-crafted talking points through a Signal chat that auto-deletes, a practice the mayor’s office has been criticized for violating public-record rules.

Hochul asserted she was unaware of any legislation requiring disclosure of such relationships and noted that, to her knowledge, the influencers were not paid. Mayor Mamdani’s chief counsel Ramzi Kassem said the administration had taken “immediate corrective action” by disabling the disappearing-message feature. City Council member Phil Wong introduced a proposal obligating paid influencers to label posts as “Paid for by the City of New York” and to reveal contracting firms, with an oversight hearing scheduled for Sept. 22. Hochul said she would review any future legislation while praising the mayor’s innovative communication approach.